bldrums

I painted my cowl with several coats of Lusteocote Missle Red paint but the finish is not as shiney as the Monocote. ( the color isnt a prefect match either but, anyway. What should I use to give it a glossy finish? I would hope to pick up a product locally at a hardware dept.

thanks,
Bill

Insanemoondoggie

Spray can polyurethane will work, make sure your Lustercoat has dried really go or the clear can lift the base coat.
I have added a couple of extra coats of color before, then 1500 sand and buff with rubbing compound, followed by polish.
If you take your time and use a heatgun, you can cover the cowl monocoat.
I`m not sure if Lustercoat is an enamal or not, if it is do not apply a laquer based clear as it well lift the enamel.

bldrums

Cover the cowl with monocote.......thats an Idea. I never covered a cowl before.

P-40 DRIVER

As long as its a fiberglass cowl. I read tutorial on how to do it one time.

bldrums

Oh, no this is the cheapo pos that comes in the GP Skybolt Kit

Bass1

A word of advice. Lustrekote makes a clear coat that's supposed to give a "nice gloss" finish when sprayed over Lustrekote color. It looks good for about a week then once the sun does it's thing, you now have Lustre Grey/black over your beautiful spray job! [X(]

bldrums

OUCH,,, Im glad I asked

thank YOU. I think Ill just try to wax and buff.[X(]

Insanemoondoggie

If you buff it out, don`t apply any wax that seals the paint. Spray paint needs 3 to 4 weeks to completely dry, as it depends on evaporation to cure . If you seal the finish before it fully cures, it will turn dull and chalky in a short time.
You can still buff it after a couple of days of drying, just don`t use a wax or sealant on it for a few weeks.
Meguiors #7 is a great polish for new and old paint, and can be machine or hand applied.

bldrums

Got it ! Thanks

oliveDrab

Bass1 -

Oh Noooooooo! I've sprayed LustreKote white on my T34B, and now I've started spraying Lustrekote clear on it. I sure don't want it fading. What do you recommend? Some guy told me to use OMNI clearcoat, which can be bought at an automotive paint supply store.

Thanks
oliveDrab

Bass1

olivedrab, My true red Lustrekote started turning black after several outings in the sun. I'm not sure what brand/formula clear is compatible with Lustrekote color. On the other hand I repainted most of the cowl with a fresh coat of Lustrekote color and left the louvers and underside of the cowl ( Sukhoi) alone (blackened nicely from the old clear coat) to simulate oil stained weathering. Maybe the formula has changed as I haven't use the clear Lustrekote since 2001. If you run into the same problem as I did you can use "Toluene" to remove the paint and clear coat without damaging the fiberglass and start over. It's a messy process but it works well. Just have a few rolls of paper towels on hand and PLENY of ventilation.

jetmech43

My Feedback: (9)

Ive used the clear hig temp engine enamel truck paint from auto zone has a pretty good shine to it, and seems to hold up well

r2champion

I have used the lusterkote clear over color lusterkote paint with bad results. On 3 different occasions, the clear coat became cloudy and looks terrible. I don't think it is my technique, because I have used other clears successfully. One thing I have figured out since, was that you can buff most of the cloudiness out, but still isn't perfect.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

Be aware that oil base polyurethane WILL YELLOW in about 6 - 8 months. Waterbase polyurethane is FUEL RESISTANT with the following caveats: 1. Let the poly dry FOR A MINIMUM OF 7 DAYS BEFORE EXPOSING TO GLOW FUEL. 2. Do not let the exhaust residue remain on the finish over 4 hours. After about 4 hours the finish will begin to soften.

For a clear coat I have very good results with "Dupli-Color Acrylic Clear Enamel" (available in many auto parts houses, but only in gloss). You need to find out for certain if Lusterkote is an enamel or lacquer based paint (I THINK it is a lacquer base ). I normally use latex paints, so I don't have compatibility or fading problems.